Making a Benchtop Jointer Out of Plywood

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.

Gökmen Altuntas is like a woodworker’s answer to a Von Neumann machine (a machine that replicates itself). Over the coarse of the videos on this channel, you get to see a whole workshop being homemade, one tool at a time. In one of the recent videos, it’s a benchtop jointer that gets constructed out of some scrap wood to hold an inverted Makita KP0800 planer.

As one of the YouTube commenters summarizes the build:

How to build a jointer:

Step 1: Build a table saw
Step 2: Use table saw to build a drill press
Step 3: Use the drill press to build a table jig saw
Step 4: Use all to build a jointer

On the Gökmen ALTUNTAŞ channel, you can see that table saw, drill press, jig saw, and other shop tools being fabricated from plywood and other basic stock, using the previously-constructed tools.

Note: Gökmen has gotten a lot of well-deserved comments of alarm for the dangerous way in which he works in the shop. Do not take any safety tips or shop practices for him. Work smart, be safe.

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.